


Cheers Darlin'

by QuietArtemis



Category: Good Omens (TV), Lucifer (TV)
Genre: And there are Consequences, Angst with a Happy Ending, Aziraphale is a hedonist, Breaking Up & Making Up, Cheating, Healing, Hurt Crowley, M/M, No beta we fall like Crowley, ascended crowley, or is it hopeful ending? idk, this is not how it works, very failed open relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 16:37:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21377206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietArtemis/pseuds/QuietArtemis
Summary: Aziraphale and Crowley finally start a romantic relationship. Everything is good until Aziraphale discovers the joys of sex and wants to explore. Crowley isn't thrilled but agrees. It is a fling with Lucifer that broke the camel's back and Crowley goes away to be alone for a time.He isn't alone, though. He begins a life he never thought he'd have.This is a journey of Aziraphale and Crowley. A road full of mistakes and hurt, and lessons learned the hard way.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Lucifer (mentioned), Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Crowley/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 83





	Cheers Darlin'

**Author's Note:**

> Don't be surprised I often call Crowley Anthony, because this name becomes truly a part of his identity.

Crowley sat on a barstool, drunk half to unconsciousness.

Coming to Los Angeles was a bad idea. The worst idea, ever.

Ever since the Apocanope, he and Aziraphale were developing their relationship in new ways, both romantic and sexual. Anthony couldn’t be happier about it. He loved making love to his angel, sometimes slow and languid but other times hard and fast. The angel seemed happy about it, glowing like a star under Crowley’s touches. For the first time in his long, endless life the demon felt truly happy.

As it happens, good things don’t last long. Not for him.

It started innocently. It wasn’t new that clients would flirt with the angel, drawn in by his soft looks and gentle smile. At first, Aziraphale turned down their advances, especially since he was in a relationship now.

Aziraphale was… quite a greedy angel. Once he found pleasure in something, he’d explore it endlessly, like his books and food. He took newfound pleasure in acknowledging he’s desirable and sexual. It should have alarmed Crowley when the angel’s refusals were less passionate and implied that something may happen. One man in particular was very persistent about pursuing Aziraphale even though he saw Crowley and knew they were in a relationship.

Dave was his name. And Dave was a smart, intelligent man. So he change tactics to “oh, we can be friends then!” and started hanging out in the bookshop on every possible occasion. His conversations with Aziraphale became longer and longer. Crowley trusted his angel not to cross boundaries they set when the would spend time alone with Dave. The demon wasn’t stupid and he could tell a developing crush as well as Dave’s longing gaze.

It shouldn’t have surprised Anthony when Aziraphale asked to open their relationship. It really shouldn’t.

But it did. And it hurt. 

At first, Crowley begged the angel to reconsider, but Aziraphale was always stubborn about the things he wanted, and he wanted to explore and learn, to enjoy and embrace this new aspect of his existence with other people. He also argued that the demon had plenty of experience prior and it was unfair he didn’t as well. 

Anthony was too weak to argue. He wasn’t good at denying Aziraphale anything the angel wanted.

Whenever Crowley called to invite his angel to go on a date and received an “I’m busy,” excuse, something would flip in his stomach. It was Aziraphale’s code word for “I’m about to have sex with someone now”.

He stopped calling soon after, making Aziraphale call him first if he wanted to meet up.

Those were rare occasions they wouldn’t spend time together, at the beginning. Crowley battled his jealousy alone while Aziraphale’s “busy times” would get more frequent. It drove the demon up to his breaking point.

Crowley hoped coming to a new city would be enough to distract Aziraphale from going on his sexcapades. It was going well, right until they ran into bloody Lucifer, all charming and handsome, who swept the angel off his feet and right into his bed.

Aziraphale didn’t leave Lucifer’s apartment for two weeks now. Crowley only got short texts every few days from the angel he’s fine and that “Luci is SO amazing!”.

Today, the demon gave up. He packed his shit, left a short letter and flew to Glasgow. Why Glasgow? He just felt like it. He knew Aziraphale wouldn’t find him there.

“Hey, lad. You might want to cut it off now,” the bartender said in mild, concerned tone. 

“Nah, I’m good. Can hold my whiskey,” Crowley mumbled, taking another large gulp of alcohol.

“Heartbreak?” the human asked. The bar was mostly empty, so he could strike up a conversation.

“Y-yeah…” Anthony said in a moment of surprising honesty. He never was very forthcoming with humans, but now that he was booted from Heaven and Hell, so he didn’t care anymore. “I gave him everything. Saved his ass more times than I can count. Everything and anything he could ask for, I’d give him on a golden fucking platter… And guess what? He asked for open relationship. I wasn’t enough for him. I never was. He pushed me away over and over again before we started dating. And then, this.”

“Sounds like the two of you have a lot of history together. What made you finally break up?” the bartender said, walking from behind the bar to sit on a stool beside Crowley. “My name is Carl, by the way.”

“He’s fucking my ex-boss as we speak. Didn’t leave the guy’s flat for two weeks now. Can you fucking imagine that?” Crowley slurred angrily. “And my ex-boss is a piece of shit, too! Evil, manipulative bastard. Hate his guts. Always did. Ran from him as soon as I could.”

“Oh,” Carl flinched. “That’s rough, man. I’m sorry. Does your ex know about it?”

“Sure as hell he does. Didn’t care.” Anthony shrugged, feeling traitorous tears stinging in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, lad,” the bartender said, putting his hand on Crowley’s arm. “This is a shitty situation. You seem like a good, loving guy, you know? You deserve better than that. I through similar things in the past and I know it hurts, but it will get better. You’ll find someone who will treat you right and be as generous to you as you are to them.”

“How do you know I’m good or generous?” Crowley grumbled. “I could be a massive, lying asshole.”

Carl chuckled at that.

“I guess you could be,” the man nodded. “But working here, I meet all sorts of people. I learned to recognize who’s honest and who’s a cunt.”

“Will you mind terribly much if I drink until I pass out?” the demon asked.

“Nah, you’re good. You can crash on the couch in the adjacent room. I live here, you know? Rent’s cheap.” Carl offered, pointing at heavy-looking, noise-proof door.

“Eh, thanks, but I think I’ll go. I have hotel room nearby,” Crowley said after a moment of thought. “I’ll be taking my bottle, though.”

“You sure you’ll be okay?” the bartender asked. 

The demon laughed bitterly.

“I won’t be okay anytime soon. But if you’re asking about harming myself, then I have no intention to do that,” Anthony promised, lying through his teeth and taking a sip from his bottle. “Ciao.”

Carl was about to protest and call the demon out on his bullshit, but Crowley was already gone and walked into misty night.

It was a late afternoon in LA when Aziraphale left Lucifer’s apartment and went to his and Crowley’s hotel room. He was in excellent mood. Sex with Lucifer was truly mind blowing, but he missed his wily, old serpent already.

The angel was surprised when he came to an empty room. There was not a trace of Crowley anywhere. The demon’s possessions were missing, bed was neatly done and TV and lights were turned off. Crowley’s aura no longer lingered in the air.

Aziraphale felt a sense of dread wash over him.

“Crowley! Crowley, do come out now. You’ve had your fun!” he shouted, frantically looking around for his demon. Since Anthony could change his shape to a snake of great to tiny sizes, Aziraphale often found him hidden in most unusual places.

After nearly half an hour of search, the angel found nothing except a letter.

_ Aziraphale, _

_ I loved you with my whole heart.Since the moment I first I laid my eyes on you in the Garden, I knew my heart was no longer mine but yours. I tried to hide it. I tried to be your friend instead. I wanted to give you anything you wanted to make you happy. I wanted to protect you and to cherish you in ways you’d allow me to.  _

_ No matter what I did, I could never truly have your friendship. You’d keep me at arm’s length.You’d push me away each time I got too close. You’d deny any relationship with me if it cost you Heaven. _

_ I don’t blame you for it. I’d choose Heaven over myself any day of the week. _

_ Apocalypse came and went, but you stayed. You’d ask to be my lover and I, like a fool, agreed. I thought, nothing could be better than to be loved by you. _

_ Except, you never really did, did you? _

_ I deluded myself if I let you see other people, you’d stay. I thought I can clench my teeth and survive knowing you’re seeking caresses of others. I thought I can take it. I wanted to give you everything you wanted and be the lover you wanted. _

_ It hurts too much, Angel. I told you it’s a lot you’re asking me for. I begged you to keep your relations quick and simple, but you’d ignore that request over and over. The fact that you spent two bloody weeks having sex with Lucifer, on what was supposed to be our holiday no less, just showed me how much you disregard my feelings. _

_ I can’t stand it anymore. There is a limit to what I can give you. _

_ Aardvark. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Anthony J. Crowley _

_ PS. Please, don’t look for me. _

Aziraphale sat on the bed, reading the letter over and over again. The use of safe word hit him above all - Aziraphale crossed the boundaries Crowley had. To him, it was just sex, but to Crowley - it was so much more. The angel should’ve listened to his boyfriend and stop pressuring Crowley to agree for something he so clearly was unhappy about. He understood why the demon would feel the way he did about open relationship, but the understanding came much too late. As someone who was cast out from Heaven and Hell, Crowley had a lot of abandonment issues. His fear of losing Aziraphale as well was always present in their interactions.

With no small amount of shame, the angel admitted he used that fear to get what he wanted from the demon.

And now, Crowley was gone. Aziraphale packed his belongings in a rush, hoping to find the demon at their home in South Downs. Or maybe in London. He had to be somewhere, right?

Just as he was about to leave, he heard a mobile phone going off in his pocket.

**From Lucifer: Hey, angel! See you tomorrow at Lux? Drinks on me!**

**To Lucifer: No, thank you. I had lovely time, but I need to go back to England.**

**From Lucifer: Aw, come on! You won’t regret it. You can go back a day or two later.**

**To Lucifer: I really can’t. I need to come back home to Crowley.**

**From Lucifer: Well, your boyfriend let me fuck you. Repeatedly. For two weeks. I don’t think a few days will make a difference, right?**

**From Lucifer: Wait, wasn’t he supposed to be in LA? You broke up or something?**

Aziraphale felt hot rush of shame wash over him. 

**To Lucifer: Our relationship status is none of your business. I’m going home. **

**To Lucifer: PS. Only Crowley is allowed to call me “angel”.**

**From Lucifer: Oi, prickly! I take it you broke up then. If you need help to kiss and makeup with him, give me a ring. Or you know, if you need to kiss, I’m also ready to help. ;)**

The angel rolled his eyes and didn’t reply. Mobile felt heavy in his hands - a proof of his affair. Not only he lied to Crowley about his thing with Lucifer being purely sexual, he also accepted a mobile from the devil. Aziraphale knew how much Crowley wanted to give him one and he wouldn’t take it lightly if he knew he accepted one from Lucifer instead of him.

“I rather made a mess of things, didn’t I?” he mumbled, miracling himself back to the empty house in South Downs.

Crowley frequented the bar where Carl worked. The bartender worried a fair bit over him. It was clear the redheaded man suffered a lot and tried to drown his sorrows in an ocean of alcohol.

Carl saw it over and over again how people lose themself in addiction. He also saw human-shaped vultures, praying on the weak, vulnerable souls and pushing them deeper down the hole. He chased them away when he could. Alas, even weak, people always made their own decisions.

That evening, Crowley was left alone and drinking a little less than usual.

“It’s karaoke night,” the bartender smiled. “Wanna give it a try?”

“Me? Uh, no… Not really,” the demon shook his head.

“Oh, come on!” Carl winked. “I can see it written all over your face that you do!”

Crowley groaned, rolling his eyes and taking a shot of vodka.

“It’s not like they’re any good at singing. Just try it, okay? You look like someone who could use a new hobby. Helps with bad breakups.”

The demon frowned, thinking about it. His kind didn’t sing, not in public at least. But, since he wasn’t good at playing by rules, maybe it’d be fun to break another one?

“‘Somebody To Love’ by Queen, pronto,” he ordered and approached the scene as one of the patrons just ended her song.

Anthony felt a little awkward for a moment, with so many human eyes staring at him. Behind his glasses, he closed his eyes to forget about people looking at him. 

Freddie was very thorough teaching Crowley how to sing. They’d spend a lot of time, trying new songs together, both Queen’s and other bands’. The demon knew how to emulate Freddie’s style and how to sing his songs. He seems to have taken the audience by surprise as he heard people gasp and murmur, more enthralled by his singing by a second. 

Meanwhile, Crowley felt very flattered. His voice and his emotions soared free over the crowd. It was a beautiful moment and the demon tasted a new flavor of freedom, to sing his soul out.

The song ended all too soon and he was rewarded with loud applause. The crowd demanded one more song from him and Crowley, feeling truly appreciated for the right reasons for the first time, obeyed.

It took him two more songs to be allowed to go back to his seat.

“You’re amazing!” cooed some girl with blonde hair. “You could start a career with that voice!”

“Yeah! Oi, Carl! Maybe hire him to sing here in the evenings?” said another human, male this time. “You both would profit from that!”

“If Anthony wanted that kind of job here, I’d happily do that,” Carl nodded. “Hey, Anthony, what do you think?”

“I think...” the demon smiled. “...I’d really like it. Thanks. Consider me your new employee.”

Aziraphale’s life was empty without Crowley at his side. It’s been months, nearly a year now, and the demon didn’t respond to messages or calls. As Lucifer explained, Crowley must’ve blocked his number once he saw the first text from him.

Searching the demon turned out to be useless, too. Crowley didn’t want to be found and Aziraphale worried if he didn’t decide to sleep for another century or do something more… permanent.

“Hello, Aziraphale,” Lucifer called him one cold, winter morning. “Still not a peep from your loverboy?”

“No,” the angel said, sadly. “I’m afraid I lost him for good. I mistreated him so badly, not for the first time. I took him for granted and now he’s gone. He wants no contact with me.”

“Want me to summon him for you? Still a king of hell, remember? That has its perks,” the devil offered.

“I don’t think Crowley would appreciate that. He doesn’t want anything to do with me or you. I imagine he’d be enraged if we did this.” Aziraphale concluded. The offer was tempting, but he knew it’d cause more damage. Crowley was jealous and to make him think he and Lucifer still are together, in any capacity, would just add fuel to the fire.

“He’ll get over it,” Lucifer said, flippantly. “He’s weak. Not the type to hold a grudge.”

“Crowley is not weak!” the angel growled with more aggression than he intended. “He’s strong and clever. He chooses to forgive because he’s a much better person than everyone give him credit to be. Crowley and I didn’t have a fight. I think he just… gave up. Because I broke his heart. If only I wasn’t so stupid and dismissive of his feelings…”

Aziraphale sobbed quietly. On the other end, Lucifer was quiet. The angel distantly heard some shuffling and female voice.

“Hey, Aziraphale,” greeted Chloe, sounding worried “I heard Crowley is still gone.”

“Yes, I made a mess of things. I can’t find him. He’s not returning my calls or messages. We had our fights over the centuries, but this is different. I didn’t listen to him, I ignored his feelings to have things my way and now he’s gone,” the angel cried.

“We’re going to London. We’ll help you find him,” the detective decided like Aziraphale had no other choice in the matter.

“Oh, no! Please, it’s okay. I’ll find him eventually and have a conversation with him when I do. I’m afraid involving more people would just irritate him more,” the angel said quietly.

“We won’t interfere. We’ll only help you locate him and that’s all,” Chloe promised. “You’ve been moping long enough. I can understand why he did what he did, but you deserve closure.”

Closure, what a terrible word, Aziraphale thought to himself. He didn’t want to end things with Crowley. He wanted to apologize and learn to be a better partner for his demon. However, it seemed as though he was not going to have that. It will be a goodbye.

“There’s nothing I can say to stop you from coming here?” the angel asked weakly.

“No, there really isn’t.”

Meanwhile, in Glasgow, Anthony J. Crowley was rebuilding his life. He sung at the pub in the evenings and work in his very own flower shop during the day. He had many human friends now, too. He was surprisingly well-liked by the local community and they seemed to embrace his eccentricity. Crowley’s wardrobe changed to soft, red shirts and black jeans. He had new jackets now, too, with embroidered snake on the back of it. It was a gift from his lovely neighbor, Ms Lockerwell. She was an elderly lady, but sharp with great sense of humor and downright mean at times. In many ways, she reminded him of Lady Olenna from Game of Thrones. He absolutely adored her.

Carl introduced Anthony to his friends and they were hanging out often together. It was a merry group of oddballs and Crowley fit in splendidly.

Life couldn't get any better… until it did.

The bartender introduced him to his brother, one absolutely lovely and adorable Artie. Artie was tall and kind of skinny, with high cheekbones and full lips, fluffy locks of hair and golden freckles on his pale skin.

Crowley was swooning as soon as he saw him. It must’ve shown, because Carl and his friends laughed at his dumbstruck expression.

“Oh, um… Hi, I’m Anthony,” he said, offering his hand to the shy, sweet man in front of him.

Artie, God bless his heart, blushed in most fetching way and took Crowley’s hand, shaking it lightly.

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Artie. My brother told me a lot about you,” Artie smiled, his shy green eyes peeking at Crowley curiously.

“Good things, I hope,” Anthony chuckled.

“Yes. He was singing you praises for months now. I can see why,” the human grinned.

Oh, such a flirty, sweet little thing… Crowley thought to himself.

“And I can see why he kept you a secret from me… If I had known he had such a handsome brother, I’d have dogged him to let us meet ages ago,” the demon flirted right back. 

Artie laughed and it was the most beautiful sound Crowley ever heard.

Aziraphale, Chloe and Lucifer sat in the angel’s bookshop, hunching over laptops and papers. It seemed as though the detective was very keen on finding Crowley. Lucifer, meanwhile, was respectfully not making passes at Aziraphale. 

The angel concluded it must’ve been because of something Chloe said. He was most thankful for that.

“It would have been so much easier if I just summoned him!” Lucifer complained loudly, losing his patience. Crowley was good at covering his tracks. There were hundreds of humans all over the world sharing the same name, making the search so much harder.

“Do you really not know where he might’ve went? A city? A country? Nothing?” Chloe asked fourth time that evening.

“No… I searched all his favorite places and places he mentioned wanting to visit,” the angel explained, shaking his head. “He must’ve picked a new direction entirely. He doesn’t want to be found. Perhaps, it’ll be better if we respect his wishes.”

“Do you no longer want to try to fix it with him?”

“Oh, I do! I pray for it every night. It’s that the main issue between us was me disregarding his feelings and his own desires. I don’t want to push him again,” he sighed. “On the other hand, I’m so worried for him. He suffered more than enough already. I’m scared he may have hurt himself. One time, after an argument, he slept for nearly a century. This is much worse than it was then, and I felt that he decided to sleep instead of doing something more… permanent.”

Chloe and Lucifer looked at each other. Clearly, they didn’t realize the demon is more emotionally vulnerable than they gave him credit for. Silence fell between the three of them, disturbed only by a hum of Chloe’s laptop.

“Hey, didn’t you say he likes plants? And music?” she said, frowning at the screen.

“Well, yes,” Aziraphale nodded with a flicker of hope.

“It seems that we have one Anthony J. Crowley who opened a flower shop in Glasgow and is also hired as a singer in a pub nearby.”

“I don’t think Crowley sings in public. I caught him once or twice and he seemed very put off by it. I’m not sure if he’d choose to be a singer. The flower shop does sound like him, though,” the angel nodded.

“Seems like our only lead at the moment. Let’s go to Glasgow, then. At very least, we’ll have a short break and have fun,” Chloe offered and Aziraphale was inclined to agree.

Artie was simply amazing. He had a animal rescue shelter and helped countless animals. The animals in question loved him as much as he loved them. Crowley watched the human with fascination. Artie was such a happy person, especially when he could help the creatures of all kinds.

Crowley, for his part, helped enriching the shelter with plants that were suitable for animals in their enclosures. To his surprise, Artie’s little (and big) friends took a liking to him as well. It was surprising because animals instinctively reacted poorly to demons.

In all this craziness, between the flower shop, pub and the shelter, Crowley moved in with his new boyfriend. It was Artie’s idea and the demon decided to grab the happiness he was given with both hands and hold onto it tightly.

They were good together, somehow flawlessly falling into the rhythm of new daily routine. For the first time ever, Crowley knew what is it like to have someone who loved him and cared for him, demanding nothing in return. The demon was used to be a giver, though, so he still had the habit of going above and beyond for his lover. Artie, on his end, reciprocated with equal passion. Not in a tit-for-tat way… It was genuine and true will to show Crowley how much he means to him.

But their relationship was bound to face its first true test.

“There’s something different about you,” Artie said one late evening. “Why do you never remove your glasses? And how come you’re able to do so many things in one day? How come you have this ridiculous luck all the time?”

Crowley froze for a moment, unsure how to tell the truth. He couldn’t lie to his boyfriend though, nor could he escape perfectly valid questions.

“I… May or may not be… inhuman,” the demon confessed quietly.

Artie frowned, looking at him as though he was crazy.

“I’ll show you something. Just please, don’t freak out. I truly love you and I mean you no harm. I wish to take care of you and cherish you,” he whimpered.

The human nodded, tense with fear and anticipation.

Crowley gently removed his glasses, revealing pair of his cursed eyes. Artie gasped, startled, but didn’t run away.

“Disgusting, I know.” the demon mumbled, putting back on his shades, but his boyfriend’s hand stopped him.

“Are you joking? You have most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen! They look like liquid gold and they shine, too!” Artie exclaimed excitedly. “What are you? An angel?”

It was now Crowley’s turn to look surprised. 

“Angels don’t have snake eyes,” he snorted.

“Snake eyes? What are you talking about, Anthony? I know what snake eyes look like and yours are nothing alike.”

The demon stopped in his tracks and rushed to nearest mirror. Indeed, his eyes looked different. His pupils were round, irises gold and there was not a trace of anything serpentine about them. Instead, they looked… dare he say, angelic almost.

Artie was standing behind him.

“Is everything okay? Were your eyes supposed to be different? They are plenty unique now to me,” he pointed out.

“Yeah. I had yellow eyes with slitted pupils, just like a snake’s. I am.. was... a snake. Serpent of Eden. The first tempter. A demon,” Crowley explained and if it wasn’t for the most serious, genuine expression on his face, Artie would’ve laughed.

“I’ll do something now. Please, don’t scream,” Anthony begged.

He released his wings, spreading them wide in the small room. Artie gasped, but not in disgust or horror. It was a sound of awe.

His wings turned out to be shocking for both of them since they decided to randomly change color to golden.

“Can you feel it?” Lucifer asked as they arrived in Glasgow, as if he smelled something particularly vile.

“Feel what?” Chloe asked, confused.

“Angelic presence. Or something… It’s familiar but different,” the devil explained.

Aziraphale focused and indeed, he sensed something similar. The distant angelic aura felt like Crowley and an angel.

“Crowley might be in trouble!” the angel shouted. “Quickly, we must find him!”

They did just that, although pinpointing where exactly was the source of that aura was impossible. Not only the city was big and crowded, but also auras were more like a general feeling than a marker.

The first place they checked was the flower shop. It was closed, surprisingly, since the sign on the door suggested it’d be open by now. There was no indication of anyone inside, either.

“This feels like Crowley,” Aziraphale said, brushing his hand over the door. “Look at the plants… They are so vibrant and well taken care of. Perfect.”

“We should check the other place,” Chloe said, pulling Aziraphale and (very reluctant) Lucifer with her.

The drive to the pub was silent and tense.

‘The Prancing Horse’ was nothing like Aziraphale imagined. It was cozy and nice. It was mostly empty at the moment since it was only early afternoon. 

“Hello, we’re looking for Anthony Crowley. Have you seen him? Tall, red hair, always wears black and sunglasses…” the angel inquired a bartender. The man behind bar stared them up and down, suspiciously.

“We have tons of guys matching that description and I don’t take names from all my customers. Sorry, can’t help ya,” the bartender said and focused on restocking the shelves. Aziraphale looked dejected and ready to leave. Meanwhile, Lucifer banged the wooden bar, loudly, startling everyone inside the pub.

“Stop bullshitting! I can smell your lie a mile away!” he shouted, barely keeping his eyes from glowing red. “Where. Is. He?!”

The bartender looked terrified for a solid second. The look in those black as void eyes almost made him tell the truth. Almost. If it wasn’t for his experience with nasty, shady guys and a very discreet blessing from Crowley (one of which he didn’t know of), he would have.

“This is respectable place! I wasn’t have you causing a scene! As you can see, there’s no one here right now who matches the description! Now off with you before I call the cops on your asses!”

“We are the police,” Chloe interjected before Lucifer could say something stupid again. She showed her badge, too. “We’re looking for him. He went missing a while ago and we haven’t heard from him since.”

It was only then the bartender realized who those people were. Anthony mentioned them before, especially the black haired guy and the blond guy. Those were the ones who hurt him. Now, Anthony was happy and flourishing, and Carl won’t have anyone ruining his friend’s and his brother’s happiness.

“Can’t help ya,” he shrugged. “Besides, your badge doesn’t work here. Is he a criminal? With international arrest warrant?”

The woman and blond guy said “no”, but the other guy said “yes”, making his companions glare at him.

“He’s not a criminal at all,” the blonde man reassured. “He can be mischievous, but he has a heart of gold. Wouldn’t harm a fly if he could help it. We’re just worried about him.”

Carl bit his tongue from saying something very spiteful.

“Good luck, then,” the bartender shrugged, dismissively.

“We know you hire someone with the same name. Can you describe your employee?” Chloe pressed.

“Young, tall, green-eyed. Brown hair. Very pronounced cheekbones,” Carl lied, describing his brother instead. It was easier to make a lie like that than make up an entire person. “Likes really colorful clothes. A goddamn eyesore, he is. It suits him, though.”

“Sounds like you like him,” the woman pointed out.

“I sure do. We’re like brothers,” he chuckled.

“If you see Anthony… my… our Anthony, could you please give us a call?” Aziraphale asked, offering a business card. Carl looked at those impossibly blue eyes, kind face and pouty lips, and he immediately understood why Anthony had such hard time refusing anything to this man. Alas, Carl would prevail and he’d protect his friend.

“Sure,” the bartender smiled insincerely, but it seemed enough to satisfy them. The trio took off and Carl called Anthony as soon as they were out the door.

Anthony was having a good day. Hell, he’d dare say he had a good week. A month, even. Suddenly, it all took a weird turn, and now he was probably an angel again. Or something. He wasn’t a demon, that’s for sure.

“Oh, now you take me back?!” he screamed at something above his head, making Artie look at him strangely. “Just fucking why? I don’t want to go back to Heaven and you can’t make me!”

Except, She could and he knew that very well.

Crowley made a frustrated noise and sat in the chair. Artie approached him shyly, taking a spot by him.

“Are you okay?” the human asked.

“I… I don’t know,” Anthony said, sounding oddly sincere. “I was a demon and now I’m not. I had scary, snake eyes and black wings. Now I look like I have before I Fell and I’m not sure how to feel about it. God just randomly decided I’m worthy Her love again and… and I guess I’m angry? I begged Her for so long to take me back, to let me prove myself to Her. And when I no longer ask, She decides it’s a great idea.”

“God is a woman?” Artie inquired, sounding amused and intrigued. “Huh… I like that notion. Makes God more approachable than a scary, old man with a beard and stormy look in His eyes.”

“Don’t let that fool you. She can be just as scary as the God in human art, if not more so,” Crowley snorted. “And I still don’t understand Her at all. Why now?”

“Maybe… Maybe that’s exactly why? Maybe She wanted you to grow into independent being and let you define yourself instead of keep you defined by Her? Maybe you grew to love and forgive yourself and that’s what She was waiting for? When I met you, you suffered a lot. You were still fixated on your ex and I imagine it may have been something you did when you lost Her. You’re doing so much better now. It’s truly astonishing how much you achieved in such short period of time! You started a shop, got involved in the community, started helping in my rescue center, got in a relationship with me… The way you described your relationship to your ex made me think that you’re co-dependent on him, but it’s not what we have. We don’t need each other, but we want to be together. We make each other grow and be better. Our little worlds won’t end if we break up. It would hurt very much, but you know what I’m saying… We keep each other strong when we’re together and when we’re apart.”

Anthony frowned, pondering on Artie’s words.

“It does look like something She’d do,” he said after a while. “So, I owe you my Grace back, huh?”

His boyfriend chuckled.

“You’re still not listening!” Artie sighed with a fond smile. “You got it back by yourself. You’re the only one you should be thanking.”

“When have you gotten so smart, huh?” the angel(?) frowned, bumping his shoulder against Artie’s playfully.

“Oh, you must be rubbing off on me,” the human grinned.

“You know what? If I rub off on you some more, we might make a genius out of you yet,” Crowley smirked, sweeping Artie up in his arms and carrying him to the bedroom. The young man giggled happily, not even bothering to try to wriggle out of Anthony’s arms.

Their brief moment of happiness didn’t last long. Carl called them just when they were about to nap for a little bit after vigorous session of “rubbing off” on each other.

Never has Anthony been ever as furious with Aziraphale as he was now.

Aziraphale, Lucifer and Chloe decided to go back to the pub in the evening. They all had a feeling the bartender wasn’t entirely truthful with them. Flower shop remained closed for the rest of the day. Having few more hours to burn, the three of them decided to get few hours of sleep and eat something.

Lucifer being Lucifer, still tried to flirt with Aziraphale who turned him down each time. Chloe rolled her eyes at her partner’s antics so much she was concerned she might get a strain.

“For fuck’s sake, Lucifer… Can you not leave him alone for five minutes?” she growled once Aziraphale went to his room and locked the door.

“Are you jealous, detective?” he smirked.

“Is that what it’s about, then?” Chloe asked, sharply. The devil may or may have not regretted his question.

“Oh, come on! Let me have a bit of fun! Besides, that filthy, little angel out there could put most of my incubi and succubi to shame!” he praised. “Wouldn’t mind another two weeks with him!”

“Two weeks?!” Decker admonished. Lucifer’s smirk grew bigger.

“I know, right?! He’s a Heaven’s soldier and all that… He has all the stamina one could ask for and then some more,” he sighed, dreamily.

“You’ve done enough already!” she frowned, crossing her arms on her chest. “You’ve ruined his relationship! Poor Crowley… I can’t begin to imagine how he must’ve felt… If I had know you two had a full-blown affair, I’d never have came here!”

“Well, first of all, we did nothing Aziraphale didn’t want,” Lucifer pointed out. “Besides, Crowley gave his consent. I have no idea what’s the drama about.”

“Sure you don’t…” she mumbled angrily. “I’m sure you had absolutely no intention to bang a taken man… angel… and he just stumbled into your bed and onto your dick. And you just didn't notice that Crowley was less than enthusiastic about this situation.”

The devil cringed a little, feeling caught.

“Well… I may have been flirting with the angel more than necessary, knowing it’d make Crowley squirm. True, good ol’ serpent wasn’t too happy, but he gave his consent, no? That’s all that counts!”

Chloe’s glare spoke louder than words about her frustration.

“Just to be clear - I hold Aziraphale fully accountable for his choices to sleep with you and ignoring his partner’s feelings on the matter,” she said, as calmly as her emotions allowed her to. “Don’t think I won’t be having a conversation with him very soon. However, I also know you and your weird powers, and I know for a fact that you’re not innocent in this situation. I bet my badge you pushed for this until you got Aziraphale on your side and then he forced Crowley to agree. With your enthusiastic help. Am I right or am I right?”

“Well… Yeah. You’re way too good at this,” Lucifer mumbled, kind of upset but also impressed she read him so easily. “It was fun to make Crowley all jealous and pathetic! I admit I may have went overboard, but I didn’t know they would break up.”

“You didn’t know they’d break up when you fucked Crowley’s boyfriend for two weeks straight…” she said flatly. 

“When you put it like that… Okay, I may have wanted them to break up.”

“Why?”

“Mostly because Crowley annoys me! He disobeyed Heaven and Hell, but Aziraphale gets him to heel as he pleases! We’re the rebels! He was not supposed to rebel against me!”

Chloe shook her head in disappointment.

“And this is where I won’t be talking to you until you get your shit together and apologize to Crowley.”

On the other side of the door, Aziraphale listened. Listened and cried silently. He had just enough time to wipe his tears and fix his appearance when Chloe knocked on his door and he let her in.

“I assume you’ve heard my conversation with Lucifer?” she asked, sharp as ever.

“I have,” he nodded, impressed with her skills.

“So you realize what you did to Crowley was awful, right?”

“I-... I know. I was so selfish. I didn’t listen, even though I saw how he was hurting. I thought that since he has all that experience, I’m owed the same privilege to know and to try things with others. He was so impressive in bed that I felt jealous of how much he knows and of his past lovers.” Aziraphale explained, looking and feeling ashamed.

“Did you use him as experiment?” Chloe inquired. 

“No…” he shook his head. “The others were an experiment. I got greedy… I did some awful things, like purposely running into my one-night lovers when Crowley was with me. He's not stupid and caught on quickly. I wanted to show them he’s the one I’ll always come back to, but now I know how that could’ve been misinterpreted by him. He didn’t want to know who I slept with or when. I thought he just didn’t care or wanted to give me full freedom to do as I please without him hovering, but now I realize he was protecting himself. Sometimes, I’d disregard his ‘one night only’ clause when I found someone… interesting. I told to myself it doesn’t matter since he doesn’t know at all who am I meeting. But it did matter. He put his trust in me blindly and I… did what I did.”

“Good to know you’re more self-aware than Lucifer,” Decker sighed. “You ran half of our conversation by yourself.”

“Only half?”

“Yes. There’s another part you didn’t address…” she said, making the angel tense up. “...the part where Crowley may not forgive you and where you’re disregarding his wishes of not seeing you. You know it may not go well, right?”

“I do,” Aziraphale nodded. “I don’t know what he’s up to. One time after a big fight between us, he slept for nearly a full century. That time, I didn’t trust him. Now, I broke his heart and his trust in me. I worry he may have done something foolish to himself or he might still. I’d rather have him angry with me but alive than to follow through with his request and let him hurt himself.”

“I can understand that,” the detective nodded. “Oh, and just so you know - if I had knowledge of everything that happened between you, I wouldn’t be here to help you. Lucifer served me with a very abridged version and left out more than half of important bits. You’re the one who made this mess. Lucifer helped some, but still most of the blame is on you. You do deserve what you got. I still like you, somehow, but I’m beyond furious with what you did. It helps to know you’re the kind of person who strives to get better, because if you weren’t like that I’d book a plane back home right now.”

“I know. Thank you for being here regardless,” he said.

“At this point, I’m not here for you or for Lucifer. I’m here for Crowley, because God knows he deserved better than what he got,” Chloe concluded and left.

Aziraphale sat alone with his thoughts. The detective was right about everything and yet, here he was, begging God for a chance to have a second chance with his demon.

Crowley didn’t keep his conversation with Carl a secret from Artie. His boyfriend took it really well, although he seemed worried that Aziraphale might hurt him again. Anthony, on his part, was just relieved the other wasn’t jealous or expecting him to go back to his ex.

“Are you sure you want to sing today?” Artie asked. “They will probably wait for you there. Carl would understand if you chose to take a few days off until they’re gone or you have the strength to confront them.”

“It’s fine,” Crowley shrugged. “They didn’t come here to kill me or anything. I can handle a conversation with them, even if it isn’t something I look forward to. I don’t want to see Aziraphale but I don’t want to feel like I have to hide. I’m not the one who should feel ashamed. If anyone should hide, it’s him.”

The human nodded, proud of his boyfriend even more now than before.

“Okay,” Artie said, stealing a little kiss from Crowley. “Let’s get dressed. Can’t wait to hear you sing.”

The eternal being smiled, knowing his boyfriend was entirely truthful.

“Yes. Let’s.”

They went to the pub as usual. Anthony looked very determined as far as Artie could tell. He’d never seen that kind of look on his boyfriend’s face - Crowley looked like he’s going to a battle and perhaps he was.

The inside of The Prancing Horse was full of people already. Crowley was getting quite popular around town and many locals came to see him, some on regular basis. This time was no different, except that he felt familiar aura of Aziraphale and Lucifer like spiders crawling up his spine.

He chose to ignore them. 

Instead of reacting to the assholes who hunted him down, Crowley smiled, pulling out his electric guitar and setting the microphone to correct position. Without preamble, he started singing his favorite rock songs, most of which came from the 80’s. The crowd sang along and for a moment it was like magic. There was a unity between him and the people listening. It was like a small piece of Heaven he happened to miss - singing together and creating something beautiful. Except, singing with humans was not perfect, there was no ideal sync, some of them shouted rather than sang, but Crowley liked it a thousand times better than singing with angels.

He shot Artie a charming, grateful smile for being there with him. His boyfriend waved back, shooting him a sunny smile.

Anthony’s heart swelled with so much love he thought he might burst in a moment.

“And now it’s time for the last song… I’d like to sing it with my dear boyfriend, Arthur. He hates that name, so please, call him Artie,” Crowley winked at the crowd. Artie, very reluctantly joined him on the scene. Being rather shy, he focused on Anthony rather than the crowd.

With Artie’s beautiful, clean tenor they sang a darker version of “Animal” by Neon Trees. Artie fell in love with a YouTuber’s cover of it and really wanted the two of them to try.

It was an absolute hit. It was fun, the crowd went crazy and Crowley and his boyfriend stared at each other like they’re alone in their home, singing their hearts out.

“That was an awesome job, guys!” Carl praised, offering them drinks.

“Hello, Crowley,” said a timid, familiar voice. “Didn’t know you could sing so well.”

Anthony whipped around. He was vibrating with anger and pain all over again, seeing Aziraphale and Lucifer together. The fact that Chloe accompanied them didn’t make it any better.

“Well, you don’t know me as well as you thought,” Crowley said snarkily. “Then again, it rather turned out I don’t know you all too good, too. Or perhaps, I was a blind fucking idiot who chose to ignore all warning signs.”

The angel flinched. Artie’s hand rested comfortingly on Anthony’s arm.

“Can we talk in private?” Aziraphale asked anxiously.

“No,” was a sharp, pointed answer. “Whatever you have to say, you can do it in front of my boyfriend and his brother. They’ll hear about it from me anyways.”

“Are you safe? We felt angelic presence near you,” the blonde inquired.

“Seems that Almighty has a wicked sense of humor. Gave me my Grace back. Not that I wanted it, honestly.”

“Oh.”

Uncomfortable silence fell between them for a long moment.

“I know you wanted to be left alone, but I really worried…” the angel whispered, fidgeting. This time, Crowley felt no pressure to reassure him. “...I’m sorry. For everything. I mistreated you from the beginning. Talked down at you, disregarded your feelings, never offered anything of importance for each and every time you did something for me, sometimes putting yourself in danger. I was ungrateful and entitled. And when you gave all of yourself to me, I still wanted more. You asked for so little and I didn’t give you even that. I know there’s no fixing the damage I’ve done, but please, give me another chance. Not as lovers, I won’t disrespect you and your relationship like that, but just as friends. I want to show you that I truly love and care for you.”

“That’s a tall order,” Crowley said. “I don’t know if this is a good idea. I’ll think about it and let you know when I’m ready.”

Aziraphale whimpered, nodding and left quickly. Lucifer and Chloe followed after him, thankfully sharing no witty comments.

Distantly, he felt the angel’s blessing placed upon the establishment.

They reconnected eventually and Aziraphale watched Crowley and Artie’s relationship grow and transform. A bitter part of him hoped they’d break up, but that never happened. Instead, the couple got engaged two years after the fateful conversation at The Prancing Horse. They married a year later and soon after, adopted three children.

Lucifer and Chloe didn’t stay in touch with Crowley. They didn’t want to accidentally reopen old wounds. After awhile, they lost connection to Aziraphale as well.

Aziraphale visited Crowley and his family on occasion, each time as torturous as previous one. Alas, his friend was happy and the angel bravely resisted the temptation to ruin it and win back his ex-demon’s love.

It hurt to see what they could have had if Aziraphale wasn’t a selfish prick. Crowley was an amazing husband and father, adored so much by his human family… He flourished under their love and the angel couldn’t remember a single time where Crowley was that happy.

However, as everything in mortal world, good things come and go.

Artie lived to a significant age of 93 and passed away surrounded by his family. Crowley was ready for it, but no less heartbroken when it happened. Pretending to be a human himself in front of everyone else except the angel, Carl and Artie, he faked his own death soon after. He didn’t want to confuse his children and grandchildren with eternal youth and immortality.

Aziraphale sometimes caught his friend looking after his family from afar, sending small blessings and miracles to his children and grandchildren.

“Do you regret it?” the angel asked one late evening in his bookshop while the two of them drank wine.

“Not a single second,” Crowley said with a small smile. “I’ll always love them. I can’t really go back to Heaven even with my Grace back, and it’s not like human souls are allowed to mingle with angels, anyway… I am glad they are in the good place. I’m happy I had them in my long existence for as long or as short as I did.”

“Do you think if I wasn’t stupid, we could have had the same?” Aziraphale asked quietly, feeling embarrassed as soon as the question left his mouth.

“No…” Anthony shook his head, making the blonde angel gasp in hurt. “I’m sorry, angel. You have to admit our relationship was flawed all along. Not all of that was your fault. I was a demon, so it’s not a surprise you were always very suspicious of me. Meanwhile I wanted to please you too much and I was ready to hurt myself to do so. I’m not happy about our breakup, but I am happy we learned to be better together.”

“That… makes sense…” Aziraphale sighed, the hurt still lingering in his heart. “Do you think there’s a chance we could… try again on better terms. Sometime?”

The redhead smiled, a kind of smile that stole Aziraphale’s breath away.

“I never stopped loving you,” Crowley confessed. “I do want you, even now, but I’m scared you’ll hurt me again.”

“I… I didn’t sleep with anyone since,” Aziraphale confessed. “It felt wrong. So very, very wrong. So if you’re scared I’ll do what I did again, I won’t. I really have no desire to see anyone else.”

It did make Crowley feel better. Safer. Just a little bit.

“I’m not sure if your reassurances are enough, angel,” Anthony sighed. 

“I made you suffer so much…” Aziraphale sobbed, feeling hot tears run down his cheeks. “I can’t live with it. I don’t know why I didn’t listen to you when you asked me to stop. I feel so incredibly stupid and ashamed of myself. Realizing how deeply I hurt you over the millennia cut me deep. I don’t know how I didn’t Fall yet for all my sins.”

“Oi, no talking of Falling! It was a purge, really. A new chapter in God’s story. We had to Fall, Eve had to eat that apple and you had to give away your sword, so the humanity could exist as it does now. We’ve seen what other angels are capable of and your sins seem so minor compared to theirs. The angels responsible for the Nephilim didn’t Fall, too, even though they slept with humans out of wedlock. You have nothing to worry about.”

“But I deserve…” before Aziraphale could finish, Crowley’s hand pressed to his mouth.

“Shush! None of that. Yes, you were an asshole. We can all acknowledge that. I forgive you, so you forgive yourself and let’s both move on already.”

“I miss going on dates with you,” the blonde angel whispered, feeling another wave of sobs coming over him. “I miss holding your hand and kissing you. I miss how easy it was to be around you. There’s this lingering shadow over us now, constantly. I miss the sex too, how fantastic and intimate it was. I am so sorry I unleash this upon you like that, but I can’t help it. It hurts so much to be so close and yet so far apart, especially knowing how wonderful it was.”

“I know. I feel just as you do about it.”

“Would you… would you please go on a date with me?” Aziraphale asked, his eyes wide and full of tears. Strangely enough, Anthony was unmoved by them. This time around he could make a decision, focusing on his own wellbeing. “N-nothing big or… or serious. Just a coffee, maybe? If you don’t want it or it won’t be to your liking, I won’t mention it again. I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”

“And if I’m never ready?” 

“Then… then, never it is. I won’t bring you the same pain again. I swear. I will listen this time, to whatever hurts or concerns you might be having.”

The ex-demon pondered on Aziraphale’s words for a while.

“Very well. One coffee date. Let’s see how it goes.”

They went on their date one summer morning. The streets of London were basking in the golden light, cluttered by people as always. Many things changed since Crowley and Aziraphale last went on a date and they both compared before and now as they walked to the coffee shop.

Crowley ordered americano and Aziraphale some special latte with colorful syrups.

“This abomination doesn’t even look tasty,” ex-demon snorted. The other knew him better and offered him a first sip with a smile.

“Any good? Aziraphale asked.

“Meh, passable. Too sweet for me, but I think you will like it.”

They talked quietly, feeling almost as comfortable around each other as they once had. Engrossed in their conversation, they never heard someone approaching.

“Hi, guys!” Lucifer smiled, holding impressive cup of coffee with a mountain of sprinkled whipped cream on top of it. “May I sit with you?”

Crowley tensed up, suddenly nauseous, as the memories kicked right back in. They’ve had almost the exact same encounter once before.

“I’m sorry, Lucifer, but we’re on a date and would like to spend some time alone,” Aziraphale said, polite as ever, but sending worried glances at Crowley.

“He looks more like he’s at the funeral rather than a date,” Lucifer teased.

“He has a name,” the redhead hissed, his golden eyes glaring at the devil.

“Oh!... How fascinating!” Morningstar said and sat down, disregarding displeasure of both angels. “You’ve Ascended! Got your Grace back! I never knew it was even possible. How did you do that?”

“Why should I tell you?” Anthony asked, staring suspiciously at the other. “So you can try to wriggle your way back, too? No way. You’ve done more than enough damage.”

“Still sour I fucked your boyfriend better than you ever did?” the devil teased. There was a smile on his face that shown no amusement, only well-aimed cruelty.

“Enough!” Aziraphale shouted. “Lucifer, leave. I told you Crowley and I are on a date and want to be left alone. And to correct your statement - he’s the best I ever had. I knew it when I was with you, too. I was just… being a massive idiot and didn’t admit it then and there. We’re trying to reconcile, this is our first date since, and you’re not helping!”

The devil’s expression softened. He looked almost friendly, Crowley thought to himself.

“I see. You guys are so lucky. You have all the time in the world to work it out,” Lucifer sighed.

“How did it end for you and Chloe?” Aziraphale asked, sensing it might be a very sensitive subject.

“We had a lot less time than we thought. She was killed on a mission at age of 50. She’s in Heaven now, though. Dan is somewhere in Purgatory and their spawn is keeping the streets of LA squeaky clean of crime. They raised her well.”

“What about Mazikeen and Amenadiel?”

“They fucked off to who knows where…” Lucifer shrugged. “Probably fucking and fighting all the time.”

“It was lovely to meet you, but I think you really should go. Crowley and I…” Aziraphale said, but the devil just waved a hand dismissively at him.

“Sure, sure, I get it… See you around!” Lucifer waved and walked away.

“Smug fucking bastard,” Crowley muttered, glaring at his cup of coffee. Aziraphale took his hand gently.

“He’s gone. I won’t make the same mistake twice,” the blonde angel promised. Ex-demon looked at his eyes. There was nothing hidden in them, no lies or half-truths. 

“I try to… believe that,” Anthony hissed. “It’s hard.”

“I know,” Aziraphale nodded. “But we will work on that together, won’t we?”

“Yes, we will.”


End file.
